


tender goodbyes

by hyacinthis



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Art School, College, Domestic Fluff, Emotional, Emotional Sex, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I Love You, Light Angst, Light Smut, Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, Moving, Moving Out, insanely light smut, like suuuuuuper light smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 18:41:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17586233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyacinthis/pseuds/hyacinthis
Summary: Ash had helped Sal move into Todd’s house more than Sal would’ve liked. He told her that her company was all he needed, but she insisted on doing crazy things like moving a mattress or helping him unpack into the early hours of the morning. So, naturally, Sal was going to help her move.





	tender goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> i told myself i wasn’t going to sleep until i finished this so,,, here i am,,, at 2:36 am,,, posting this,, pls enjoy

Ever since Ashley told Sal she was going to some far away art school, Sal had been dreading it. Since March, when she got accepted, Sal had started counting the days until she had to leave. She swore to him, and the other guys, that she wasn’t going to lose touch. She would still be coming down to visit every chance that she got, she wasn’t going to forget about them. They all were her best friends and she wasn’t going to leave them behind. Sal was happy for her, he really was. He wanted her to succeed and to do well. He knew how much her art meant to her. But he was going to be sad to see her go, even if she would still be coming back to visit.

When they graduated in May, Sal increasingly became more and more nervous about Ash leaving. When they all got together and talked, Sal desperately avoided talking about college. He didn’t mind hearing Larry and Todd talk about it, but when it came from Ash it was borderline too much for him. That made him feel awful. But, he couldn’t help it. This was someone he loved and cared about and she mutually loved and cared about him too. He didn’t want to risk losing her.

In June, she told him that classes started August thirteenth, so she had to be in her apartment by August eleventh at the absolute latest. He had nodded his head, processing the information over and over in his mind. August eleventh wasn’t far away. 

“We’ve still got two months, Sally, that’s plenty of time.” She had said. But it wasn’t enough to calm him down. 

When asked by his father, Sal very briefly touched on how he felt about Ashley leaving. Feelings weren’t something Sal was good at dealing with, which certainly didn’t work well with his sensitive nature. He didn’t like to think about his own feelings, he didn’t like to dwell on them for very long. But as Ash’s moving date got closer and closer, he had no choice but to acknowledge the feelings he was trying to ignore. It was as he was helping Sal pack one day and it just kind of came up. Sal had swallowed down a lump in his throat as he shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the chipped nail polish on his fingers. 

Sal had gone quiet, staring down at the box of clothes in his hand. He didn’t mean to, but it all came pouring out. He was nothing but a bundle of tears for over an hour and all Henry could do was sit on the mattress on the floor and hold him. Sal had felt silly for breaking down the way that he did, but Henry certainly didn’t seem to mind. He just ran his fingers through Sal’s long hair, then got him a glass of water when his son requested it.

Sal supposed word of his breakdown had gotten to Lisa, which in turn spread to Larry. Because, in July, Larry had asked Sal about how he was feeling. Sal had played dumb until Larry eventually, very bluntly, said:

“I know Ash’s move isn’t easy on you. Just talk to me about it, man.”

But the problem was, Sal didn’t want to talk about it. He wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening. He wanted to pretend everything was normal, that Ash was going to some local college like Todd. He didn’t want to think about her leaving him. He didn’t want to make it seem like he wasn’t happy for her. He was _so_ happy for her. He didn’t want people to think he wasn’t, especially Ashley. 

Sal had waved a hand nonchalantly at him then sat up, asking if Larry wanted anything from the kitchen. They didn’t talk about it again.

Ash had helped Sal move into Todd’s house more than Sal would’ve liked. He told her that her company was all he needed, but she insisted on doing crazy things like moving a mattress or helping him unpack into the early hours of the morning. So, naturally, Sal was going to help her move.

They talked about it a week and a half before she was set to leave. They were sitting out by the lake, Sal’s head in her lap, when she timidly asked him.

“I know it’s a little bit of a drive,” she had said. “But I’d be more than happy to drive you back home, too. Or… Or maybe Todd could drive you up and you guys could spend a couple of days up there with me.”

Even when talking to Ashley, Sal didn’t want to talk about her moving. It made his heart ache in ways he had never felt it ache before. He wanted to look her in the eyes and beg her to stay in Nockfell for just a little while longer, _just a little while_. But he wasn’t going to do that to her. He wasn’t going to put her in that position. It wouldn’t be fair to her. Sal knew she had worked hard for this, he wasn’t going to rob her of that.

It’s August tenth. Sal, Todd, and Larry are loading Ashley’s things into Lisa’s van. What doesn’t go in the van, follows them in a U-Haul Henry hitched to the car for them. Lisa has decided to let them borrow her van for the weekend and Ash’s father paid for the U-Haul. Todd and Larry agree to sleep in the van throughout the weekend, just to give Ash and Sal their privacy. Sal loads the van with trembling hands, each box of belongings stabbing into his heart like a knife. But, otherwise, he doesn’t say anything about it. He smiles and laughs and lets Ashley take as many pictures as she wants. He doesn’t want to mess this up for her.

After dinner with Ashley’s family, the boys load up into the van and Ash mounts her motorcycle. Sal drives behind Ashley, letting her lead the way. Larry sits in the passenger seat beside Sal, comfortingly rubbing his shoulder the whole way, and Todd studies in the back seat. They don’t end up rolling into town until late that night, but they still have a day or so to unpack, so none of them really mind.

“Seriously, you guys, you can come sleep inside.” Ashley says as they carry up a few boxes. “I brought two air mattresses just in case we were to get in late.”

“Nah, nah, it’s fine.” Larry says. “We’re fine in the van.”

“Are you two just going to sleep on my mattress in the back?”

“That was the plan.” Todd says.

Ash rolls her eyes as they put down boxes, then crosses her arms as she looks at them. Sal turns on the overhead light and looks around. It’s a nice apartment, she’s definitely going to be happy there. He’s sure she’s going to customize it with all of her paintings and pictures of the gang. He’s eager to see what she does with the place.

“Seriously, guys, you don’t have to do that.” Ash says, almost sternly.

“Ash.” Larry says, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s no big deal, we’ll be fine. If we change our minds in the middle of the night, we’ll call you. Okay?”

Ash gives him a look before sighing and rolling her eyes. She playfully punches his shoulder then shakes her head, pushing some hair from her face.

“Alright,” she sighs. “If you two insist.”

After Larry and Todd head back down to the van, Ash locks the front door and turns to Sal. He stands awkwardly in the empty living room, staring at her with his large blue eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. She walks over to him and gently wraps her arms around the shorter male. He hugs her back tightly, cherishing the affection while it’s still available to him. They stand like that for a while, Sal’s head on her shoulder and Ash’s fingers in his hair, before Ash slowly pulls away.

“Do you want to help me blow up the air mattress?” She asks softly.

“Of course.” Sal smiles.

Blowing up the air mattress takes longer than it should have, but both of them have a good time anyways. After it’s done, they both get up to brush their teeth, then they change into some pajamas. Ashley wears a tank top and some workout shorts, while Sal dons a ripped T-Shirt and some boxers. Ash sets up the pillows on their bed then finds an old blanket in a box in the living room. She hits the light then lays down, beckoning Sal to follow suit.

He, gladly, does. He crawls under the thin blanket and takes off his prosthetic. She wraps her arms around him and he presses his face into her chest, wrapping an arm around her middle.

“I’m really glad you guys came up here with me,” she says softly, tucking some hair behind his ear.

“I’m glad we did too.” Sal answers. “I would be worried sick if we didn’t.” Ash laughs a little.

“You’re too sweet, Sal.”

“I just care is all.” He says with a shrug, cheeks heating up.

They both lay there, talking about everything until they both talk themselves to sleep. Sal remains nuzzled against her all night, he doesn’t want to be anywhere else.

They both wake up the next morning to the sound of Todd and Larry pounding on the front door. Ash is the one who pulls herself away from Sal to go answer it. They come in with breakfast as Sal rubs the sleep from his eyes and walks into the empty kitchen.

“Rise and shine, love birds.” Larry says, pulling out a breakfast burrito and tossing it in Sal’s direction. Amazingly, Sal somehow manages to catch it. “We’ve got work to do!”

“Aren’t you peppy this morning?” Ash smiles, grabbing one of the cups of coffee.

“I’m ready to get all of your shit out of my car.”

“Ha ha ha.” She deadpans. “Very fucking funny, Larry. If you didn’t want to come, you wouldn’t have.”

“You got me there.”

“How’d you two sleep?” Sal asks, unwrapping his burrito.

“Surprisingly, pretty good.” Todd says. “It didn’t get too hot in the car and Larry and I managed to give each other plenty of space.”

“That’s good.” Sal nods.

“What about you two?” He asks. “I know air mattresses aren’t too comfortable.”

“Actually, I slept really well. I can’t speak for Ash, but I was pretty comfy.”

“Oh, no, I was too.” She says from the kitchen. “Especially with a cute snuggle bug like Sal!”

“Gross.” Larry smiles.

“Shut the fuck up.” Ash answers.

After breakfast, the four of them start to unload the big stuff. Ash’s mattress, couch, dining table, chairs, dresser, desk, TV, TV stand, and other things of that sort. Once all of the heavy things are in, all of them decide to take a quick nap before moving on to the other boxes. Sal knows from previous experience, moving into an apartment that isn’t on the ground is awful. Absolutely horrendous. He was lucky that the Addison Apartments had an elevator but, unfortunately, Ashley’s did not. That entailed the four of them carrying all of her belongings up three flights of stairs then into her apartment. 

Sal is the first one to wake up from their nap. He takes the van keys and goes down to the parking lot, grabbing as many boxes as he can before coming back upstairs. He wants to make is as easy on Ash as he can. He know how rough moving is and, from what Sal knows, this is her first time moving. He drops the boxes off, then goes back down to get some more. When he comes back upstairs and sets down the boxes, Ashley’s awake, groggily talking to her father on the phone. Sal stands in the frame of the front door until Ash gets off the phone. She turns to him with a frown, crossing her arms.

“Sal.” She says quietly, trying not to wake up Todd and Larry.

“Ashley.” Sal whispers back, mimicking her pose.

“You should’ve waited until I woke up. I could’ve helped you.”

“It’s fine,” he says, waving a hand at her. “I want to make this easy on you.”

“I know,” she walks over to him, taking one of his hands. “But I don’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself or something.”

“Ash, please,” Sal smiles. “I’ve moved three times, I can handle myself.”

Ashley rolls her eyes then leans down, pressing a kiss to the forehead of his prosthetic. Sal smiles, the tips of his ears heating up.

“How much more is left?” Todd asks groggily, slowly sitting up.

“Not much. Everything is out of the U-Haul, there’s only a few boxes left in the van.”

“That’s what I was hoping you would say.”

Once Todd and Ash wake up a little more, the three of them wake up Larry then finish up moving in the boxes. The hardest part was over, now it was just unpacking. Larry and Sal move furniture where Ash tells them to and assemble her bed frame while she and Todd unpack other small things. Most of it is finally unpacked and looking like a home, by 9:30.

“I know you guys are starving.” Ash says. “Do you want me to pick us up some food? Since you two got breakfast?”

Todd and Larry look over at each other before nodding in mutual agreement.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Larry says.

“Any requests?” Ash asks as she grabs her bike keys.

“Anything is fine by me, I’m starved.” Larry says, leaning back on the couch.

“Nothing with onions on it, otherwise it’s your call.” Todd says, not looking up from his book.

“Alright, we’ll be back in a second.”

Sal and Ash both pick up their helmets then head out to the parking lot. They drive to the closest fast food restaurant, but as much food as thirty dollars can buy, then drive back to the apartments. Sal carries the drinks while Ash carries the bags.

They eat in silence, all of them extremely exhausted from the day of work they’ve had. Todd and Larry agree to sleep on the couch and the air mattress while Sal and Ash sleep on her newly assembled bed. They all take turns showering and using the bathroom before they all turn in for the night.

Sal sits in Ashley’s bed, legs pulled to his chest as he watches her get ready for bed. He sits there, in a state of awe. Being in love is such a wonderful feeling. A powerful, overwhelming feeling that moves him to tears. That, with the combination of knowing this is his last night with Ash for a while.

She climbs into bed next to him with a frown, gently kissing away his tears. Maybe it’s because both of them know this is the last time they’re going to see each other for a while, maybe it’s just something that’s been on their mind all day, or maybe they’re just relieving stress. But gentle cheek kisses escalate into more, Ashley’s fingers pulling on Sal’s hair, his hands on her hips. In these late hours of the night, the two get into some heavy petting that leaves Sal shaking and breathily whispering her name, face in her neck, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I love you, Sal.” She whispers in his ear. “I really do.”

He feels like jello. He doesn’t feel real. He’s on cloud nine, just laying in her arms like this. He rests his head on her chest and he smiles to himself, wiping some tears from his eyes.

“I love you too, Ash. I don’t know what I’m going to do at home without you.”

“I guess you’ll just have to use your hand.”

Sal rolls his eyes, his cheeks and ears turning scarlet. He presses his face into her neck and she laughs, brushing through some of the knots in his hair.

“I’m teasing,” she laughs. “I know what you meant. You’ll be fine, Sal. I’m not gone for good. I’ll be back once I get a long weekend.”

“You promise?” He asks.

“I swear. And I’ll spend as much of it as I can with you.”

Sal sleeps better than he ever has in his life that night, Ashley’s little spoon. They all sleep until noon the next day, then pile into the van to go find some lunch. After lunch, they drive Ashley back home. She hugs Todd and Larry goodbye, then they head down to the car.

Sal stands in front of her, looking as awkward as ever. He can’t bare to make eye contact with her, too worried about crying again. She holds his cheeks in his hands then gently slides the prosthetic up. She presses a few gentle kisses to his lips and he melts into them, relaxing under her touch. They hug for what feels like forever as Sal desperately fights back tears, biting the inside of his cheek hard. Both of them finally pull away and she walks him out to the van.

“Hey,” she says, taking his hand before he walks to the car.

He looks over at her, tilting his head to the side slightly.

“I love you.” She reminds him again.

“I love you too.”

“Call me when you get home?”

“I will.”

She stands on the sidewalk as they pull away. Once she’s out of sight, Sal breaks down and cries the whole way home.

**Author's Note:**

> I CANT WRITE ONE FUCKING THING WITHOUT SAL CRYING!!!!!!!!! he’s just so openly sensitive in canon that i want to embrace that,,,, u rly don’t see sensitive guys that often   
> also i get conflicted bc i value sal’s friendship with ash a lot but the two of them dating makes me go big uwu,,, soo,,, i kind of go back and forth between them being bff’s and partners lmaoo  
> anyways it’s almost three am and i’m rambling haha,,,  
> let me know what you guys thought in the comments!!! i’ve been getting a lot of super nice comments lately and let me tell you, reading those really does make my day <3


End file.
